Robin Miller's Mailbag for February 26

Q: I don't think the Garage 34 car is a good idea if they don't classify it. If I'm racing in the Indy 500 and the Garage 34 car is in front of me or in any way affecting my race, I'm getting upset by it. Unless that car can qualify on speed and be scored and eligible for the win, I think it is a bad idea. Then again if the car wins the race it could be a bad idea because you have however many IndyCar owners upset they got beat by something that doesn't conform to the rules of the series. I love the idea of Garage 56 at Le Mans. However, Le Mans had four different classes of cars on track already. What difference does it make if there's an additional unclassified car on a track that's 8 miles long with 3.5-4 minute lap times? At Indy the track is just 2.5 miles and the laps are covered in 39-40 seconds there's nowhere for the Garage 34 car to hide or get out of the way. As intriguing as it is and potentially beneficial to the sport I just don't see it as a viable option. Not unless you're going to convince Ferrari to send a Formula 1 car with all the downforce stripped off of it to compete and even then Ferrari only comes if they can win.

Ryan in West Michigan

RM: I just don't see a lot of manufacturers lining up and spending money to be a footnote to Indy and you bring up the logical downside to such a project. I loved the DeltaWing and it's perfect for Le Mans and class racing – but not the Indy 500.

Q: Watching Daytona's pre-race show on FOX and they had a feature on Jimmie Johnson and his six championships in the Chase era. Then, they quickly cut to a shot of Mario Andretti who "only" had four titles in IndyCar (guess they forgot he was the 1978 World Champion) and they NEVER mentioned A.J. Foyt's seven USAC championships. To me, it was insulting and it's time FOX realized the sphere of racing exists outside Daytona and Charlotte.Mad in Mid-Ohio

RM: Sounds strange that A.J.'s total was omitted but did they list Petty and Earnhardt? I'll confess I was watching basketball. But don't expect FOX to recognize anything but NASCAR.

Q: I'm not an I-told-you-so kind of guy, but I've been opining about IndyCar's lack of marketing aggressiveness, and for fans, the often maddening failure to take it to NASCAR and portray that series as a slow, archaic form of motorsports that pales in comparison to the speed and diversity of open-wheel racing. Could that be changing?

Essentially, DerrickWalker framed stock cars as "not real cars" and its drivers not gutsy enough to handle IndyCar. Sure, Derrick was having fun. But Kurt Busch's reaction speaks volumes, and is extraordinarily significant. Here's why. NASCAR leaders won't admit it, but they have huge feelings of inadequacy compared to other forms of motorsport, specifically IndyCar and F1. The folks at 16th and Georgetown should exploit and attack this angle, and push IndyCar as the most extreme, most challenging, most relevant, high-tech, fastest, and dare I say ballsiest form of racing in North America – and label NASCAR as a slow, plodding, not-relevant-to-today's-road-car-technology dinosaur. We fans are passionate about IndyCar, we just wish marketers and advertisers were as well.Patrick, West Des Moines, Iowa

Randy Bernard got chastised by a former IMS lackey for saying that IndyCar racing was dangerous which, of course, it is in spades compared to stock cars. Whether you think it's callous or not, that element is part of the attraction and the daredevils captured the public's attention in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, here and in F1. People don't go to see drivers maimed or killed but they do appreciate risky business and that's part of the game.

Q: I think it's great that fans have a voice to vent to you and that their voice gets published in this type of forum through your Mailbag. I believe everyone needs to be a little patient with the IndyCar Series as they have made many changes and I think that we will see an improvement, but is going to take a little bit of time because many factors have determined the current state that racing is currently in; a depression. For the IndyCar fans out there, we should be proud that we are experiencing the best product in the world.

Now I have a couple of questions for you Robin. Since most of the teams perform a lot of off-season testing at tracks like Sebring, Barber, Sonoma, and Fontana, why can't someone promote a couple of these events to have a runoff that would be televised in the winter months? No points, just a bunch of racers having a little bit of off-season fun. I know the Formula E series will have a few races in the winter, but that's not enough to pacify a hardcore race fan like me. Also, I'm curious why some of the sports car teams are not participating in the IndyCar Series? ie; Michael Shank, Wayne Taylor.Stephen Vanderipe, Carmel, Ind.

RM: I really like the idea of a winter testing shootout on television, especially right after pro football ends and before NASCAR gets rolling. Shank bought an Indy car a couple of years ago but couldn't get an engine so he lost interest (and who could blame him?). Wayne has always talked about coming to IndyCar but hasn't pulled the trigger. I think he'd like to see his sons race in IndyCar.